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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29623746">More Than Enemies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatalFlaw03/pseuds/FatalFlaw03'>FatalFlaw03</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work, Warriors - Erin Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Friends to Enemies, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Character, Updates when I have the time, im bad at dialogue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:14:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29623746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatalFlaw03/pseuds/FatalFlaw03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hollowkit is the son of Hawkstar and so becomes an apprentice earlier than hid friend Briarkit. Briarkits jealousy leads him to do things that he might regret, or not, who knows.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>More Than Enemies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>In which Hollowpaw sees his first glimpse of jealousy, and what the true consequences of nepotism and his heritage might be.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was warm in the nursery but that’s not where Hollowkit was, no he was waiting just outside it in the fog. Normally he would be off taking shelter in the nursery but today was special, today he was going to become an apprentice and even better he was going to be an apprentice before Briarkit even though he was only half a moon ahead, it makes him feel smug.</p><p>He knew that it wasn’t a competition, at least rationally. He knew that, but he don’t care. “I’ll finally get to tell that mouse brain what to do for once instead of the other way around” he thought to himself, “Briarkit may be older but Im more advanced now.”</p><p>He shivered with anticipation getting ready to be called up to the font where he would gain a mentor and have his name changed to Hollowpaw, him and his sister Mourningkit. He was excited and just couldn’t wait to finally start his journey to becoming a warrior. </p><p>There was his father sitting on top of the high rock looking at him with a gleam of pride in his eye. In the den was his friend Briarkit who would be excited to see him as an apprentice. Next to the young tom was his sister and mother, there wasn’t anyone in the world he would rather share this moment with.</p><p>His father told him that he was going to be Hollowkits mentor and he was excited to spend his apprenticeship training and bonding with the other tom. He couldn’t wait, interactions with the tabby father so far have been fewer then he or I would have liked, father can’t visit us as often as Briarkits because of his other responsibilities. That will all change now that my father is going to be my mentor though.<br/>
— — —<br/>
“Hollowpaw Hollowpaw Hollowpaw”</p><p>He couldn’t stand it, Hollowpaw getting all the attention even though that should have been him standing up there. He was, after all, half a moon older than the other kit but he got to be an apprentice before he was just because his mom didnt think he was ready, it just wasn’t fair! His mother glared at the calico expecting him to cheer for his, now former, den mate but he kept tight lipped not wanting to show support for anything he did.</p><p>He even got the best cat that was eligible for an apprentice Talonstar. It was all because his father is the leader, its nepotism pure and simple that’s why he gets to be a warrior before the scrawny tom. “I know he’s not a warrior yet but even if I get to be an apprentice soon he’ll probably get the same treatment of skipping ahead to warrior that he did for being an apprentice,” Briarkit thought to himself.</p><p>He just decided to go back to sleep “I don’t even know why I woke up for this honestly, its not like I’m getting anything from it” he grumbled to himself quietly so his mother wouldn’t hear. He walked to the back of the den to where his damp nest lay and curled up to go to sleep but just when he was about to drift off he felt something poking him in the side of the head. Wearily, he opened his eyes and to his surprise it wasn’t my mother it was Hollowpaw here to gloat about his name change. The kit that was still a kit didn’t feel like listening to him gloat until sundown, he just turned away from the new apprentice so he would get the message. </p><p>Since his head was turned away he didn’t see the hurt look that spread across the other kits face or the way his posture slouched. He did however, hear the footsteps of Hollowpaw leaving the den as he got further and further away from the only cat outside his family that he considered his friend.</p><p>Drifting slowly off again Briarkit idly wondered if he would ever get to be an apprentice or if he would be stuck in the nursery like a kit forever. His last thought before he lapsed into unconsciousness was that he would prove to the world that he was better then Hollowpaw even though he was starting from behind him.</p><p>For the next several days he avoided the new apprentice when he could and when he couldnt he ignored him and turned away until the energetic Hollowpaw left. He kept doing this but it just wasn’t working, the other tom refused to pick up on the clues that Briarkit was giving off. This made Briarkit unreasonably angry.</p><p>Hollowpaw was telling the angsty tom about how he had caught his first rabbit for the second time Briarkit snapped. “I don’t care Hollowpaw, and the truth is that no one probably cares. Cats catch rabbits all the time, why is this rabbit so special is it because its your first I mean it doesn’t matter to anyone but you.” Hollowpaw seemed to be struck with every word until he was cowering with his ear plastered back. </p><p>“I-I d-didn’t know y-you felt that w-way, Im sorry if you didn’t want to hear about it” with that he turned around and grabbed something from near the entrance of the nursery. Suddenly Briarkit realized what it was, it was the rabbit that he had been hearing about since Hollowpaw walked into camp with it proudly clamped in between his jaws. </p><p>“Well good” he thought to himself “I didn’t want to watch him eat a rabbit while he talked about catching it.” He decided that all this talk about rabbits and hunting had made him hungry and so he trotted over to the fresh kill pile to see what it had to offer. He decided he would eat anything but rabbit if he could help it he was all rabbited out for the day.<br/>
— — —<br/>
Hollowpaw was stung by what his friend said to him. Wait! Was Briarkit still his friend, he had been mean after the younger tom had become an apprentice. It would be better to think of the other tom as just another cat for now. It would keep him from hurt by the toms attitude which was just as thorny as his namesake now. Yes that was the right course of action for him, he resigned himself to his fate as he ate the rabbit meant for Briarkit alone in the apprentices den.</p><p>The following days were some of the loneliest that he could remember sure he had Mourningpaw, but they rarely had time to rest in between tasks since they were the only apprentices and thus had to take on all of the chores. Even with Mourningpaw his conversations seemed dulled and withdrawn. It wasn’t long until Mourningpaw picked up on his mood.</p><p>“Are you going to tell me whats up or am I going to have to coax it out of you” Mourningpaw asked him before he could go to sleep.</p><p>“Its nothing!” He replied in a tone that confirmed all of her suspicions that something was indeed up even though he tried to hide it.</p><p>“If it was nothing then you wouldn’t say ’its nothing’ you would ask me what I was talking about instead being defensive,” she replied confidently, “so...”</p><p>“I told you it was nothing and if I said it was nothing its nothing,” he replied with a snarl. </p><p>She tried to initiate a conversation a few more times but he just ignored her until she said “I swear you’re as grumpy as Briarkit is these days!” He tensed and she saw it she knew she had hit close to the mark with that comment. She was a smart cat though so she knew to quit when she was ahead, so she rolled over and went sleep. In just a little bit he did to still tense.</p><p>After their ‘midnight chat’ Hollowpaw avoided his sister just like Briar kit did to him. When he realized that fact he gave a dark chuckle and kept doing it anyway. She kept trying to corner him into a position in which he had to speak but he had learned his lesson from Briarkit he just ignored her.</p><p>Luckily It wasn’t long after Hollowpaws apprentice ceremony until Briarkit had his. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have kept ghosting his sister at least when his friend, no, Briarkit joined the apprentices den he would have a buffer between himself and his sister. Maybe he would even have a chance to make up with Briarkit and he wouldn’t have to keep ghosting his sister anymore.</p><p>“Briarpaw Briarpaw Briarpaw” the crowed chanted but Briar paw didn’t look at any of them he looked directly at the one cat who wasn’t chanting, just staring until the other stared back and met his piercing blue gaze with an intense one from his soft brown eyes. When Hollowpaw met the gaze of the other tom he saw he thing and it scared him. It wasn’t the anger burning in those eyes that scared him it was the burning malice in them that he feared. How had this gentle cat that he had known since birth gone from being his only friend to acting like his worst enemy in less then a moon?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I realized that my italics got ruined so ima just leave them out, I dont feel like going back and fixing them.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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